I thought my biggest fear was cockroaches, but now I have found a new one. I did not sleep Thursday night. I woke up from a nightmare (thanks to my Malaria pills) and then felt like I was going to puke. I guess the food did not sit well, or I ate way too much in order to make my host mom happy. Will not happen again, even if she complains that I don´t eat. But I really do eat a lot, she just serve me way too much. It is an insult not to eat a lot, or all that is served. But my tummy usually feels like its going to explode from too much food. Anyways, luckily I did not puke. But as I was falling asleep, I heard this scratching noise up above my closet. I thought maybe it was just my imagination. I wish. I have learned to sleep with my flashlight in case the power is out and I need to get up. I turned it on and flashed it to where the noise was coming from. I saw this long thick tail. Yay. An uninvited guest. It was a rat. Not very happy to see that I was sharing my room, and least of all with a rat. Every time I shone my light on it, it would stop moving. But finally it got tired of the light and climbed down my gray dress, onto my luggage full of folded clothes and out my bedroom door. I was happy to see it go. I felt better to see that it had left, and I hoped it had slipped out of the house or gone to another room. I have no food in mine, so I couldnt figure out why it chose mine to explore. I figured it was safe to go back to sleep, but then I heard something above my head. I saw its tail right above me on the window. It totally freaked me out!! Rats are so gross! I moved to the other side of my bed and turned on the flashlight, under my mosquito net. I felt safer under it. We have no glass in our windows, just bars. I could not leave my bed, so I kept shining my light on it, trying to make it go away. This little sucker jumped onto my mosquito net but i yelled and swore at it, and hit my mosquito net and it jumped back to the window and left. They are pretty fast and slick. My heart was pounding so fast. All I could think of was that it was going to come back and nibble through my net to bite me. I somehow managed to get out of my bed and turned on the light. I kept thinking of the Indiana Jones movie, the third one when he is in the tunnel and the rats start to come in and into their hair. That image kept running through my brain. Everyone was still asleep and I didnt want to wake anyone so I went back into my mosquito net and watched the window. I kept praying for a cat or dog to walk by and scare it away. I hardly slept, keeping watch for my new roomie. He is not very pretty, and he is not welcomed. I couldnt wait for morning so that I could leave the house and get to class. When I told my host mom she could not believe me. She showed me how clean the house is (which it really is) and that the rats have no reason to come in. Plus we have bars on the window, so how did it come in? I swear I did see it. It was not my imagination, unless it was a hallucination from the Malaria pills - but no way. I saw and heard it. So that is my story of my new roommate. I was freaked at the idea of going to sleep last night, but luckily I was too tired and the beer I had put me to sleep. I kept the lights off and I slept on the other side of my bed so that I could watch the window if need be. He did not come back, but that does not mean he won´t. Knock on wood that he stays away!! I still have one more rabies shot to go to complete the series. Yay!! I am happy to have these vaccinations. I just hope that they won´t have to be put to use, but I do feel safer having them done. And thank God for mosquito nets!! They are useful in keeping not only mosquitos, but rats from crawling on me. :)
Onto another story...Car Washes.
Car washes by day, and discotecs by night. It is a happening place to be. And they are known as Car Washes. Out comes the beer, the tables and chairs, and the bright flashing lights, with super loud bachata, merengue, and regeton music. Its a pretty funny concept but it works. Most of our class met up at this one Car Wash nearby to have some beer last night. The cold beer was nice to have after such a hot day. Who knew Car Washes could be so much fun? How does that car wash song go?
We are expecting the tail end of the storm tonight and we are not allowed to go into the city, so we have to stay in our barrios. There really is no preparation here, not like in the States. Pretty much it is just a wait and see what comes. At least we have no glass on our windows, and we live at the top of a small hill so we don´t have to worry about the flooding or breaking of windows if it is strong. Because of the storm our visit to the Volunteer site was cancelled, but it looks like it will be rescheduled for Tuesday - Thursday. Then on Friday I will be leaving with my Business Development group to do Community Based Training out in the campo for 5 weeks. It is going to be a busy traveling week coming up, and a new host family to meet.
I have been doing a lot of walking, even in the hot humid sun. I am grateful for the walking considering the high carb diet. My body does not know what is going on. Thankfully I have not gotten sick (knock on wood that I do not!) although many in the group have diarrea and other stomach problems. Maybe it is the traveling in Mexico that has my stomach used to the beans and oily foods to not have such a strong effect on me as with the others. There is one girl in the group that has come down with Dengue Fever, and so I make sure to put on mosquito spray as often as possible. Dengue is known as the bonebreaking fever, and does not sound very nice.
So now that I have given a few stories of my time here in Santo Domingo, does anyone still want to visit me? HaHa. I am sure I will have even more when I get to my site. Hopefully it will not involve a latrine!
Thanks for the comments!!! I really do love hearing from you all. Wish me luck tonight, as I brace myself for this storm-stuck inside the house with three little kids, and from any more rats that may want to visit me.
